Bhavtegh Singh Gill won the gold in Men’s Skeet at the World University Shooting Championship on Tuesday, securing India’s first individual gold at the competition. The 21-year-old triumphed in a tense 2-1 shoot-off against Cyprus’s Petros Englezoudis after both shooters finished tied with 58 out of 60 targets.
Bhavtegh added to his growing list of achievements, following a silver in the Junior World Cup in Propetto, Italy, earlier this year. His victory at the World University Championship marked a significant milestone, as he became the first host shooter to win an individual gold at the competition. Despite missing one of his last two targets, briefly allowing Englezoudis to catch up, Bhavtegh held his composure in the shoot-off, hitting both targets while the Cypriot missed one. Earlier in qualification, Bhavtegh shot 119, while Englezoudis posted 121.
Abhay Singh Sekhon, who topped qualification with 122, secured the bronze medal with a score of 47, completing a podium sweep for India’s shotgun team.
Harmehar Singh Lally, the third Indian in the event, also reached the final with a score of 118, but was eliminated early, finishing in sixth place with 17.
Yashasvi Rathore wins Bronze in Women’s Skeet at International Debut
In the Women’s Skeet event, 18-year-old Yashasvi Rathore impressed in her international debut, winning the bronze medal with a score of 38 after qualifying in second place with 114. Despite a solid performance, a missed pair in the final prevented her from securing a higher position.
The gold was claimed by Italy’s Giada Longhi with 52 (119), while Slovakia’s Adela Supekova took the silver with 49 (114). Rathore’s achievement highlights her bright future in shooting. Meanwhile, Vanshika Tiwari finished eighth with 111, and Mansi Raghuwanshi took ninth with 109.
Simranpreet Kaur Brar earns Bronze in 25m Pistol
Simranpreet Kaur Brar added another medal to India’s tally, securing a bronze in the 25m Pistol event. The competition came down to the final series, with Korea’s Minseo Kim surging ahead to secure gold with 35 (580). Brar, finishing with 30 (585), narrowly missed out on silver, which went to France’s Heloise Fourre with 34 (582).
India’s Payal finished sixth with 18 (579), and Arshdeep Kaur placed twelfth with 573.
India falls short in Women’s 10m Air Rifle
India’s hopes in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle event faded as both Manini Kaushik (632.0) and Sanjeeta Das (631.7), who had qualified in strong positions, slipped to sixth (164.9) and seventh (144.5) in the final standings.
Switzerland’s Audrey Gogniat won the gold with a score of 250.9 (631.0), while Korea’s Hyobeen Kim claimed the silver with 248.2 (629.5), and Germany’s Anna Janssen took the bronze with 228.2 (629.8). India’s third shooter, Disha Dhankhar, finished 29th with 624.7.